Page 56 of Shadow of Hope
She ran her gaze over Micha. Let it travel head to toe, found no blood or injuries, and resisted throwing herself into his arms. “You’re okay? Really okay?”
“I am, but let’s sit down.” He frowned. “I have something to tell you.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. Or his continued tight expression. But she couldn’t speed him along without complying. She rushed back to the sofa so he could share their news.
He sat next to her, and Colin perched on the arm of a nearby chair. Devan took a stance behind his brother, looking curious but not questioning his teammates. He’d likely been in a situation like this with them before and knew how to wait for news.
Her, not so much. “You guys are scaring me.”
Micha narrowed his gaze. “We don’t mean to, but we have some bad news about Jamal.”
Okay, not what she expected, but still…“What is it?”
Micha scrubbed his palms over his knees. “When we arrived at his house, we found the front door open. I looked inside and spotted him lying on his back in the family room. There was a strange object sticking out of his neck, and he was dead.”
She gasped. Blinked. Gasped again. “Dead?”
Micha nodded. “I didn’t go into the house. I didn’t want to risk contaminating the scene, so I don’t know how long he’s been dead.”
She could easily imagine discovering Jamal like that. Far too easily as she had found patients she cared for who had passed away in their sleep, but this was gruesome. How she wished Micha didn’t have to experience that. “What did the police say?”
“We haven’t called them yet.”
“No?” She glanced between Micha and Colin. “But why not?”
“I wanted Reid to weigh in on how we should handle the discovery. I called him, and he’s consulting with Russ in hypotheticals so as not to get him officially involved. I also wanted to talk to you first and let you know what this might mean for you before I call it in.”
She was confused. “What do you mean?”
“Once I report the murder, I’ll have to tell them about you and your role in all of this.”
“You do? I mean, yeah, I guess you do.” She took a moment to let the news really register. “And they’ll want to know where I am, right?”
“Right.”
“And then they’ll come here to arrest me.” She jumped up. Paced a few feet away, then turned back to stand over him. “I need to leave. Yes. That’s it. The only solution. I’ll go somewhere you don’t know how to find me. That way I won’t put you in the position of having to lie to law enforcement.”
“No!” He sprang to his feet and clasped her hands. “I won’t let you go off on your own. Not when we know a killer is out there. I’ll go with you.”
She locked gazes with him. “I appreciate that more than you know. But I’m a fugitive. You’ll be guilty of aiding me. You could go to prison.”
“Better that than someone hurting, maybe killing you.”
“We have to figure out the killer’s identity,” Devan said, his demeanor calmer than theirs, bringing the anxiety level down in the room. “Starting with figuring out what the murder weapon is.”
She let her mind race over anything that could help. “Can you describe it?”
“Better yet,” Micha said. “I took a picture if you’re up to seeing it.”
“Go ahead,” she said, but she really wasn’t. Still, if she could help identify the object, maybe that would identify the killer. She was all for that. “Show me.”
Micha took a long look into her eyes, then released her hands and got out his phone. He swiped a few times and held it out.
She studied the photo, trying to ignore Jamal’s wide open eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling. She focused on his neck. Gasped and dropped onto the sofa.
“You know what it is?” Micha asked.
“Yes,” she said, panting for air. “But I wish I didn’t.”
